The Heavens Freeze as The Ice Valkyrie Arises
Introduction The members of Libertus had valiantly fought their way through the many fighters of the Aeternum army, at one point, the assembly of soldiers that opposed never seemed to end but with the joint effort of all six mages, they eventually pushed their way through their opponents, inwards towards the capital in hope of finding the main instigator of this war, Kladenets. Pharzuph and the members of his guild were currently retaining their breath as their seemed to be no opponents in sight, at least from what they could see. They had made temporary base in an abandoned town, seemingly with the amount of food and supplies left in the houses, the area had only been cleared out rather recently. "Okay guys, we're leaving here in ten minutes to make one last push towards the capital, with the amount of numbers we and our allies have probably cleared out, I don't think we'll be expecting any opponent reinforcements any time soon as they evaluate which platoon is the biggest threat to them. However, I'm not entirely sure about the movements of the Nine Elementals. Though they serve under one person, I assume that they move as individuals, the worst case scenario is that one of them appear before us in the next half an hour while we're still recovering. Because of this, I advise you all to move around in this town as a group of three, and that rule includes me. I also advise you to all try your best to mask your magic signature as we don't want our location being discovered in an unfamiliar town as we would be at a disadvantage from the get-go. If any of you feel hungry while we are having a breather, stay away from any sugary products and stick to complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, potatoes, corn, dried beans and brown or wild rice as they have longer lasting energy than the sugary products." Pharzuph announced to his group before he hid his magical presence, expecting his team-mates to do the same. Takeshi nodded his head to his master’s words, his body crying out for a chance to rest. He felt his blood was as stale as the blood crusted over his skin from the seemingly ending waves of soldiers they had to fight through just to make it to this point. Takeshi popped a small tablet into his mouth to help replenish the energy and electrolytes he had lost before he takes a seat and begins to concentrate on absorbing the ambient ethernano back into his body. He made sure to keep his senses sharp, trying to detect any shift in the air’s ethernano to signal approaching forces as he continued replenishing his magic. It was Takeshi’s first time in war, but he felt little stress from the battle, whether that be from his mind’s inability to fully process all that was going on around him when they first arrived, or the fact that he had heard many a story from his brother or the men he visited on his father’s company demonstrations. He was at ease with his teammates and guild master alongside him, but the fact that they were on the same continent that his brother Ryota had last contacted him from, he was wary of how strong their forces were if they could take someone as strong as his idol. Takeshi quickly shakes off the thought, determined that his brother was still alive somewhere around here, and focuses on his teammates. “How is everyone doing? You guys are sure impressive out there.” He asked, a smile across his face to help ease the tension some of these newer mages must be feeling. Drake Eren was sitting there looking at his Draconian's Extremity and moves it around. It was grafted into his body along with the eye, he was a little tired. He prefers to use his other magics or weapons to fight since using Draconian's Extremity drains his magic, his strength, and most of all his sanity. He found comfort in his words and hides his pain from the group. " I am...fine. just a getting used to this. I can't fall or lose until 4 missions are completed." Drake said with a vengeful tone. Damien could hear his heart pounding in his head, he was scared no denying it, their initial push had left him shaken up and woke him up to a harsh reality he was too inexperienced in a battle. So many times he had been close to being killed if it hadn't been for his teammates he would be dead. He absolutely hated this feeling of uselessness, he heeded his master's word one the Nine could very easily find their way here but he would be ready, he refused to allow himself to be nothing but a burden to his teammates. "This is gonna be one hell of a day isn't it?" he said to no one in particular laughing nervously as he did. Clara scanned around the vicinity and detected no one, due to her machina body she did not have to entirely overexert herself facing the common foot soldier. In fact she has yet to draw out her Machia Ex Deus from inside herself. She looks onto the horizon listening to her comrades words grinning "I'm sure nothing short of a meteor will stop us." She even gave a thumbs up using her left hand to indicate how well she believed they were doing. For such a small guild to cause such trouble for an army they must be doing wonders she pondered. Ash quickly did as Pharzuph requested, and took in his surroundings. The heat beat down on him, and he regretted not reducing it before masking his aura. Sighing, he looked up at the mostly clear sky, and noticed the heavy clouds on the horizon. They were closing in fast, which would not make any potential battles easier. Taking stock of the team he had come so far with, he was pleased to note that no major injuries had occurred, and every one was merely a bit tired. "Hey guys, we've all done great so far," he pointed out, "But it's only going to get more and more difficult from here. However, I believe we can do this." Red hair like flickering flames descending upon the barren earth and burning down the crops of mexican farmers before they could shout dios mio in unison and a black mask fashioned to resemble the wings of a butterfly that obscured her eyes, the Funerary Sub-Zero Maiden approached the group, eyes (how did she even look at stuff when her mask didn't seem to have eyes anyway? Mayhap an answer is magic everywhere in this bitch as those strapping young lads Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler may say) leering at them like somebody who assumed they'd just won the lottery before realizing that the store won't give them their money. "Would it kill you to just go lay down and die right now? It'd save me some trouble." Yes, other plans were more crucial to Annarose right now. Even so, the mask that was the Weiss Walküre had to be maintained until that promised time, so shit indeed had to get real. The winds blowing throughout the atmosphere began to cool at an unnatural pace, all sortsa doodads such as oxygen, hydrogen, the earth, flora, and fauna abruptly stopped completely, an azurite crystalline layer forming over their existences, threatening to subjugate them. While she did leave those magicians unharmed, the point was made - before one could assume that the fuel of jets were able to melt steel beams and be called a crackpot, trees, animals, flowers, the earth itself; they all shattered like glass. An ambiguous expression that could be assumed to be boredom on her face, Annarose stepped forward, signalling for them to strike. Mortal Kombat! "This strength... it's on a whole different level than the normal army soldiers. I was told to be wary but... with that sort of power display that was put on show, even with our numbers, our chances of winning are limited." Pharzuph muttered as even he with all his years on Earth Land, he had never come across someone so strong. "I've already lived long enough... my top priority is to protect these kids..." He said as he looked back at his guild members who surely must have been excreting bricks at this point. "But then again... we all came in here with the mentality to triumph over any challenges and if we fail... we fail." Fixing his gaze upon the new challenge that had appeared before him, letting out a mighty battle cry, he used his Light Magic to direct various light beams towards the opponent, trying to create an opening for his team. He also directed some of the beams to land just beside the opponent, planning to create dust clouds that would block the vision of the presumed Elemental. Takeshi sighs as the lady makes her flashy entrance, never one for wasteful shows of power. He always equates it to a terrible singer trying to mask his lack of skill with laser light shows and pyrotechnics; because when it comes down to it, it is nothing but a waste. From what he could sense of her magic levels, the girl before him had no need to resort to such techniques as her power far outclassed most of the mages here. Takeshi admitted that he was a bit scared at her appearance before them, but more so for the fact that his teammates had never experienced someone like this and were bound to get themselves hurt. So as his master began the Libertus assault, Takeshi vowed to do all he could to help protect the others. Seeing the dust cloud form Takeshi smirked at the chance to get the edge in this first move. Takeshi gathers magic energy around both his palms, then he slams them on the ground as he begins to bring forth the trace metallic elements from within to the surface to take the form of 9mm bullets all around where he sensed this opponent. Adding in his own creation of Iridosmium bullets into the mix of levitating ammunition, Takeshi followed with a swift move of his hand to allow the hundred or so bullets to come raining down on her form at speeds greater than that of actual gunfire. Drake calms his speedy heartbeat as he stands, pulls out his bow and begins to create arrows of ice using his Ice Magic. He is a little scared, sensing a magical power like this was making him want to bow into submission or run away, but he remembers that he need to find and kill That Man. So until that happens, he swallows his fear and he begins to fire multiple ice arrows with the intent of immobilizing their opponent. " crap. I know i seen death, but it doesn't mean i like it. Sorry, but i need you to fall here." Drake said. The moment he felt the magical power of his opponent Damien forced his eyes closed, "What the hell I can't even..." he stared at his shivering hands, he looked around already seeing his allies taking up arms and begining their counter strike. Damien wiped off the cold sweat on his brow. "Fuck this!" Damien said as he raised both his arm aiming toward the Red headed monster he is eyes squinting briefly with concentration as he let loose at torrent of flames spiraling towards her, the air crackling in its wake. Clara's internal systems noted the immense power that was being given off by the enemy ice mage that openly threatened the group. It was do or die time and Clara knew she needed to bring her A game. She then preceded to summon her Machia Ex Deus from her two arms then slammed them into the ground. She then aimed her hands or more notably her fingers and after taking notice of her surroundings and where everyone else was began to fire bullets from her Machia Ex Deus arms taking care to not interfere with anyone else's attack. Ash's aura burst out from it's restraints as their opponent appeared, and he immediately began to form a plan. Focusing his magic energy to his hands, and then through ''them, into the air, pieces of metal began to form. "Machina-Make: Derinkuyu!" As he raised his arms and slammed them down, the machinery began to created drill-like constructs, digging into the earth. The tunnels were quickly covered over, and underground the machinery began to form into a giant chamber. Ash waved at the enemy across from them, and dove towards the ground. As he fell, the ground opened, a trapdoor letting him fall down a tunnel into a control room underground. Manning his station, he started to prepare all the systems, making sure they worked correctly. "Takeshi, could you give me a hand?" His voice came through the speaker system. "And guys? If you need a breather, hold up three fingers. I'll bring you down, don't worry." Takeshi smirks at the idea he believes Ash has and begins to run towards the trap door Ash just fell through. It opens, and he jumps through, with it closing behind him. Noticing these ''genetic inferiors preparing to strike, Annarose didn't take any evasive action - but rather, she simply raised her hand, using her vast skills in regards to enchanting anything and everything through molecular and atomic manipulation in order to invoke a power not dissimilar to telekinesis, instantaneously stopping the beams shooting towards her in mid-air, preventing any slim chances of suffering damage from becoming a reality - even though the dust cloud did erupt, with a flicking motion, she instantly reflected the beams back to their source, rays of light ripping through the atmosphere on their designated flight path. The various bullets that Takeshi fired at her were no different - not even a split second after she had returned those rays back to sender, the atoms that composed these projectiles were seized through enchanting, scattering them throughout the vicinity as a vicious hail of metal. Noticing Drake's arrows of ice hurtling towards her, Annarose nonchalantly grabbed them out of mid-air mere moments before they could futilely make an attempt to harm her before consuming them, replenishing her magical and physical power in a completely unnecessary move. Many more reversals later, Damien's flames being sent back, with all sorts of projectiles being about as ineffective as they would be if shot by a Stormtrooper who became a member of the A-Team, the supposedly overwhelming onslaught before Annarose seemed to hit everywhere but her. With a "look" of utter boredom, Annarose let out a sigh. "You know, you probably shouldn't shoot at me like you're sloshed at four in the morning trying to shoot a sober guy in an arcade." "You Elementals surely must have a lot of time of your hands if you can make such a comparative." Pharzuph sarcastically remarked as he gritted his teeth as their last turn had gone in vain. "Who would've thought there'd be not one, but nine of these monsters working under one person... tch, now not the time to be thinking about that. We need to be constantly pressuring her. I better take advantage of my large magical reserves." Pharzuph thought as twelve jet-black wings sprouted out from his back before his was coated in a golden glow that was a product of his Heavenly Body Magic. He swiftly ascended into the sky in a matter of a few seconds before he started to chant the incantation that will activate his spell. "I call upon Monoceros' power, To pierce the hearts of the wrong-doers! Open! Constellation Within The Sky, Monoceros!" Pharzuph shouted as his voice echoed throughout the area. The sky above them suddenly as shined as bright as a star as some could faintly see that golden magical seals in the formation of the constellation of Monceros had formed within the sky. As if the Heavens had shun directly onto the battlefield, train tunnel sized light rays shot out of the magic circles travelling towards their opponent. At the midpoint of their journey, the magic rays converged into the one as the light emitting from the attack seemed to be more than blinding. With the final appearance of the spell seemingly resembling that of a horn, the attack violently rushed down towards the Ice Mage hoping of causing some sort of damage though such an direct attack probably wouldn't do much. But Pharzuph closely observed the movements of the female opponent, wondering what her capabilities were and if this was out of range of her prowess. Takeshi hears the incantation of his master above and elbows Ash as he begins to explain his idea. The two create tunnels below to make their way underneath Annarose, on their way, Takeshi uses his expert sensing abilities to determine her location as he sticks out his hand above him "Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" Takeshi then manifests several Magic Seals above Annarose; each one represents fire, wind, water, earth, and gravity. These Magic Seals synergize with each other, the formation of the five Magic Seals also serve to constrict Annarose's movements and ability to counter. Takeshi then surges his magical energy into all five Magic Seals, causing the magical energies gathered by all five Magic Seals to accelerate until they reach high speeds, carrying the collective energy to melt anything in this destructive pillar that descends upon her. Once Ash and Takeshi reach Annarose's location, Takeshi uses his Magnet Magic to grab hold of the armor and iron on her body to help hold her in place and give his teammates a better chance at landing a hit, alongside his own attack. Drake puts his hand on the ground as a magic seal appears and he closes his eyes to focuses. In a few seconds, 6 clones of himself begins to gain a solid form magically and each with a different weapon, his Fire Magic/ Explosion Magic Katana and his Lightning Greatsword. The young mage puts his ice away and he begins to run very fast through the use of High Speed along with the original caster. Then, the 5 drakes executes 2 different actions: 3 of the clones sends a powerful wave of flames, the other 3 clones crushed the ground as they sends a massive shockwave of Lightning, and the real drake jumps into the air with his fire blade and begins to slash the air quickly as arcs of fire begins to home in fast at Annarose. " take this! My six wave of pain! " Drake yelled. "We can't just keep throwing spells at her...well maybe they can but me on the other hand..." Damien thought to himself. At the sight of the master's spell Damien could help but acknowledge it's destructive beauty,he even hoped that that'd end it but the overbearing magical pressure just wouldn't dissappear. Damien began to sprint around the battlefield carefully keeping an eye on Annarose. "I knew stealth mode would come in handy all these powerhouse here I doubt she can even notice my lacklusture power out her. I need a new angle, I need to find something,a weakness to exploit" Clara took in the situation of the environment around her, everyone is giving it their all so its about time for her to get in the fray. If ranged attacks don't work then its time to get in close with her Machia Ex Deus if its magic she's up against her Machia Ex Deus is just the tool for the job. Its magic absorption factor would be critical to this fight if used correctly it can shut down any spell by absorbing its ethernano at a quick rate. If ranged had no effect on her Clara had a good feeling she'd have better odds engaging in close then afar. Her mechanical tail emerged as she began to move towards Annarose, taking an offensive stance with her two giant arm gauntlets of the Machia Ex Deus waiting until a majority of the others attacks went and hopefully connected she charged in with a mighty right hook she attempted to hit Annarose as hard as she could. Calculating any possible risks, and noting Clara's charge, Ash began to run through a tunnel that built itself in front of him. Using a radar device built into a wall, he tracked where he was compared to the fighters on the surface. When he was directly underneath his target, he leaped out of the suddenly vertical tunnel, appearing at Annarose's feet. Reaching forward, a Magic seal appeared on his hand and was released towards the Ice Valkyrie. The Circle of Magic would - hopefully - prevent temperature changes and absorb the targets power. This combo should take away one of their opponents biggest assets. Diving back into the tunnel, Ash willed it close up behind him. This should protect him, and he ran back to his control centre, where he could continue to manage the battlefield. Annarose simply looked pretty bored. The "magic absorption" that was created by Clara and the magic seal used to prevent direct modification of temperature and all that created by Ash were both simple to deal with - using her overwhelming arcane aura that surged outwards, bolstered magnificently by enchantment and its myriad of properties to overpower any chances of it doing its job in the face of Annarose's magic potential while simultaneously removing any attempts at binding her via the Sacred Song-like thing and many other chances, she chanted, "Ice Devil's Zeroth Protection Barrier." In the blink of an eye, any incoming strike was rendered null and void - a spiraling spiked cocoon of lilac ice erupted outwards from her body, shrouding her frame from a three-hundred-and-sixty degree angle while covering the entirety of her existence, further enhanced by Enchantment to surpass the elements that ice would normally be weak to, causing them to casually slide off - even the Heavenly Body Spell was rejected. Another foe charging at her to deliver a close-range strike, Annarose casually dodged by bending her back and from there, vanishing, for the briefest of moments, time seemed to stop in its place - as if it were frozen, so to speak. As time returned, outside of the massive complex, Annarose reappeared outside of the underground city. "So predictable." Slamming her clenched fist into her open palm, Annarose induced the activation sequence for her Ice Devil Slayer Magic while projecting her Magic Seal outwards, envisioning a rather intricate bow and arrow which spawned from the arcane glyph, accompanied by a pulse of ice. Holding the weapon with her body being nearly perpendicular to the target and the shooting line, with the feet placed shoulder-width apart, Annarose murmured, "Additional Attack: Ice-Winged Moon Cry". The arrowheads of the bombardment about to occur were fashioned to resemble drillbits as she utilized her phalanges, hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, beginning to install a basic property of nature, rotation, which is a circular movement of an object around a center or point of rotation, resulting in the arrows rotating at astounding velocities while she remained readying them - in a single release, countless drills that looked like "arrows" charged to meet Annarose's enemies like comets streaking through the empty skies, trailed by light, using a variant of the Magnus Effect to calculate potential trajectories with ease - shooting forth, the drill-bit arrowheads of the projectiles continued to twirl quickly as the vast quantities of energy collected by the icy arrows when launched used the rotation method continuously compress upon these icy structures in order to dramatically enhance the speed and power of the arrows in flight by the second. While flying forward and causing a sparkling aura of blinding brilliance to surge forth, the property of transcendent priority was instilled within these icy arrows, meaning that they could and would pierce through anything, removing their weakness of being cancelled out or negated by any other attack. Accelerating the atomic structure of all matter they came into contact with, affecting all particles and thereby encouraging the process of senescence for both organic matter and rather implausibly, inorganic matter, thunderous roars shook the dusty skies as countless flashes of icy light ripped through the atmosphere, exposing everything to around a hundred years of aging, crumbling to naught but dust - while this most definitely did dispel the mechanical complex created beforehand, how it'd affect the magicians inside may be a different story as a geometric curtain carved out innumerable patterns that illuminated the area with countless explosions. Takeshi scrunches his face in confusion, suddenly losing the feeling of Annarose from his magnetic grasp. She must have either left all weapons here and converted her body to ice, or she has some spell I'm unaware of to be able to withstand the barrage of attacks and escape our grasp...and what's with this weird feeling that I missed something... Takeshi quickly brushes off the thoughts as he feels the ground above him begin to tremor. Sensing the danger that awaits him, he grabs hold of Ash and shouts for him to evacuate them from the site as he looks up to see the armored plating in the tunnels begin to give way, Takeshi making an Iridosmium shield to give them an extra layer just in case. Within an instant the two men find themselves above ground once again to see the icy field scarred with the brute of attacks. Turning to face the inhuman woman Takeshi moves his Iridosmium shield in front of him and begins to pull out some of his M.A.C.E Grenades. Wrapping about a dozen frag and incendiary grenades within the metal he prepares them beside himself as he first throws three smoke grenades to help screen her from seeing the barrage of grenades that Takeshi sends forth, as well as allow his teammates to adjust their positions to get a better angle. As the frag and incendiary grenades aim for Annarose, Takeshi takes hope in the fact that their explosive properties would send the metal he covered them with as shrapnel to cut the icy skin of their opponent. As well as the fact that the smoke he sent fortH contain a HC (hexachloroethane/zinc) smoke mixture that is very harmful to breathe, since it contains hydrochloric acid, and would definitely serve to slow her down. He then shoots forth a few additional RCA grenades into the earth surrounding the scarlet haired beauty to save for a moment when he could set them off below her as a surprise. Pulling out his katana to prepare for any defensive measure, Takeshi shouts out, "Tell me girl, why fight for a King who I am sure is not half as sharp as your wit or beauty? You surely could be doing something far more pleasing than fighting as a puppet for a man who belittles you." Attempting to scan the incoming projectiles nearly got Ash killed. Only Takeshi's quick thinking saved him, and they both ran out of a tunnel to the surface, barely avoiding the attack. As Takeshi began to throw some grenades, Ash activated another magic. Ash's body began to change shape, becoming more angular with every second, until his whole physiology seemed to be constructed out of children's play bricks, not a single curve visible anywhere. The power of Polygon Magic. Ash called out "Partial Reconstruction: Cubic Cannon!". As he did so, his right arm broke apart into a swirl of shining white blocks, which proceeded to come together to form the shape of shotgun like weapon, attached to Ash just below his elbow. This device then began to fire off several block-like bullets, which all sped towards their demonic opponent. The black, bee-sized projectiles were constantly fluctuating in both size and shape, being large or small, sharp or blunt, thin or fat, constantly changing. Smirking, Ash doubted even this monster would be able to avoid being hit at all. Invoking her vector-changing powers and enchanting prowess - primarily the latter- in a subtle manner, everything thrown her way was returned to sender like how Final Fantasy XIII and its two sequels should have been returned to Gamestop for ten dollars. Smoke never reaching Annarose, grenades sent back with the exact same speed and strength, and this Ash person's bullets reflected. Disengaging her vector-altering magic, Annarose let out a deep sigh. "That one was pretty good. I woulda been toast if I, well, didn't do the reversey thing." Sitting down, bored out of her mind, Annarose simply responded to Takeshi, "Ugh... You really are gonna make me monologue aren't you? Weeell, I don't even follow the dude who runs this gig, nor am I even from this continent - or this dimension, for that matter. I've got my own plans. It just so happens that a conflict between two opposing factions would generate what I need for the finalization of my father's plan. That Kladenets or whatever his name is, he's a small fry, blah blah blah." Annarose's body fluctuated between a human appearance and a creation of lilac ice as she continued filibustering. A trio of icy phantasms resembling Annarose formed around the immediate vicinity - this was , obviously. The quartet of cryokinetic valkyries spoke in unison, "...I guess you could say I'm not taking you seriously. From the very beginning, I haven't been trying. It's not because y'all are weak, but rather, I'm busy at the moment. It's kinda tiring having to go all out." The first Annarose clone stomping upon the ground used her Ice Devil Slayer Magic in order to cause a vicious cryoseism to roar outward, which, when combined with the subspecies ability known as Glaciate, beginning to induce a freezing effect in anything it came across along with a myriad of shockwaves which resounded throughout the vicinity. Meanwhile, the second Annarose used the process of Ice-Make which was entwined with her Devil Slayer Magic to generate a hammer of ice - this was the Polar Star Relic, the hammer of the Norse God Thor, from which a volley of ice-influenced lightning flew forth. Finally, the last of the replicas generated several which shot towards Annarose's enemies, shredding anything and everything in their path towards her enemies. "Well that just not fair!" Damien explained at the sight of Annarose's clones, He looked up and saw the massive onslaught of ice and flurry enveloping the area, "Okay I got this!" Damien thought to himself as he began to sprint avoiding the bulk of the attack,one of the disc of ice flew towards him at impending speed "Well of course three pairs of eyes, zero blind spots, totally fair, unlock the bloody sharingan whilst you're at it" he thought to himself as he leaped into the air somersaulting over the ice discs. Whilst still in the air he extended his arms took a deep breath and willed a torrent of fire to burst forth and shot towards the icy trio. "Guys c'mon do something" Damien thought desperation somewhat setting in. Trying to not lose his cool at such a difference in power, Pharzuph gritted his teeth as once again, their attacks had been proven futile. "This is even not the full extent of her power, to think there could be such a gap! Is this what it means to be an Elemental? It's as if she's a '''demon." Pharzuph thought to himself as his look of worry suddenly morphed into a look of anger. But that look disappeared as soon as it came, Pharzuph, seemingly calming himself down instead of unleashing his rage on the Elemental, an action which could not only put his life in danger, but for the others around him as well. "Tch... as much as I'd like to help the rest, these series of attacks give me no options but to run, it'd be best if we somehow retreat whilst nobody is injured, that way, we can assure that our escape has a higher percentage rate." Covering every part of his body from head to toe in stellar energy, Pharzuph's speed suddenly spiked as he fled away from his current position, evading both the ice discs and the freezing of all nearby surroundings. Yet feeling a bit guilty for not helping in any way, Pharzuph went on to make three clones, similar to what his opponent had just did. With a variation of both light rays and spheres, Pharzuph and his clones intercepted the discs of ice the Ice Mage had sent towards his guild's way. The main Annarose simply let out a deep sigh in dissatisfaction. "This really is a waste of time, you know. Yours, really. It's a nice time waster for me, though." With a snap of her fingers, her clones declared, "Ice Devil's Zeroth Protection Barrier." With that, a cascade of lilac ice flowed around their existence, compressing into a cocoon of devilish cold that resisted the test of pressure placed upon them. Annarose, remaining disinterested, simply remarked as the icy gaze underneath the butterfly mask stared at Pharzuph, "You seem a bit too aggravated. I guess I can sympathise. I hate being dragged around by idiots who don't have the slightest of clues on how to handle themselves, either." All the while, a sharp shard of demonic ice rapidly expanded and thinned itself out within one of her hands. "Why don't you go cool yourself off a bit?" Speeding forth towards Pharzuph, '''Additional Attack Number One: Ice Flying Strike, a compressed blade of permafrost flew, aimed at his heart. The Retreat Takeshi saw the attack play out in slow motion. Pharazuphs clones disappear in a flash of smoke as Annarose makes her way effortlessly through them. Takeshi was only a few feet away from his guild master, and with the ice blade poised at Pharzuph's heart, Takeshi's body seemed to move all on it's own towards the man who had given him a second family. with his arm outstretched, twisting his body so that he may reach Pharzuph in time, Takeshi makes contact with the man and uses all of his might to push his master's body out of the way from harm. That's when it hit him. His body hit the ground hard, as his clouded eyes attempted to register this sight before him... That's..That's my a-arm? But-t I can't move my fingers..? W-why can't I move my fingers... He thinks as his eyes move down and see sight that forces his body to fully let in the pain that began welling up in his chest. A considerable length of space lay between what should be his elbow and his shoulder, shard of blood-stained ice shattered between it. Takeshi is forced to face the pain that come from having his arm cleaved straight off through his bicep. The ice had frozen over his wound, not even allowing him the comfort of warmth that would have been the blood pooling around his curled up body. His face was closed in a grimace, his skin pale and clammy. Every few minutes he would scream, emitting a sound like no one has ever heard before. It had a raw quality: the realness of a person consumed by a pain that knew no end or limit. Then he would go quiet, just panting. Trying to fight for breath before releasing another piercing scream that seemed to reverberate in the chambers of all the hearts present. Takeshi's consciousness ebbed with the sudden flux of pain, as only the sounds of his screams kept his spirit awake in a world that would bring about such agony. His body lay rather motionless, Takeshi clutching the little part of his arm that still remain, only opening his eyes momentarily to find comfort in the safety of his master, who was laying unscathed not to far from him. "Was it really that strong?" Annarose's smirk was all the more apparent by her usual lackadaisical behaviour - beneath the mask of a half-assed enforcer laid something much more dangerous. "Well, it really does sum up the situation, though. You're positively armless. Heh." Raising her left hand as if she were grasping the heavens attempting to freeze them in place, Annarose's short burst of laughter was comparable to the cackling of a child kicking over an anthill. "Alright, let's get serious." Violaceous floe spawned from her body, concentrating within her hands - "Cocytus. Heimdall." The skies and soil shook, experiencing discord as they could barely weather the test of the demon's frozen judgement, ice pooling above her frame as she bowed down, pointing her hands downwards, with all of her fingers closed except the index and middle fingers, signalling a calamity about to be unleashed upon the mortal plane. Cold lilac energies converging at singular point above Annarose's body, the process of Shape Transformation occurring as a gargantuan iceberg coursing with demonic power manifested above, ready to rain down upon her adversaries and bring about devastation. Beginning to descend at an alarming rate, terminal velocity was achieved in no time - an "ice beyond ice", transcending all forms of cryokinesis to ever have existed, the ultimate technique of Ice Devil Slayer Magic was before them... "Third Extension: Glorious Streizer!" A lone voice resounded throughout the world, reaching the ears of everyone in the vicinity. And with that, an extravagant double-sided blade of pure crystalline energy crashed down like divine punishment, severing the meteor of devilish ice from Earth Land as innumerable fragments of ice fell to the ground. With an explosion of draconic magical power, a small, doll-like girl with blonde hair tied in a braid, piercing amber eyes, and a blue ensemble descended from the heavens, the skies clearing up as her delicate feet touched upon the craggy earth, the sunlight outlining her mere presence caused plants to bloom anew. "Damn this place and its shitty navigation." Her tone as morose as ever, Elraine Ardygun, the Dragon Slayer King had arrived, her appearance heralding the tables turning. "I've finally found you." From beyond her inky-textured mask, Annarose Antoinette's gaze sharpened. "Finally decided to show up, eh? Pardon the reference, but it feels like it's the first time in forever." Cracking her neck, the Devil Slayer's composure shattered. "Very well!" Cursed ice of a heliotrope texture enshrouding her body, tumultuous blizzards and cryoseisms reverberated outwards fancy suit of armour hewn from ice, True-Ice Kamui encased her body. "Let's end this little story. Only this time, the protagonist gets tossed aside by the villain -" "Do you ever get tired of prattling on like a loon?" Exasperated by such insane ramblings, Elraine wordlessly propelled herself at intense speeds towards Annarose with a howling torrent of crystalline feathers following her movements using Crystal Dragon's Claw, instantly appearing in front of the Devil Slayer, her claw-like hand extending to clutch her adversary's face, shattering the icy helmet instantly. With a powerful sonic boom, Elraine launched both herself and Annarose high into the stratosphere at beyond supersonic speeds, appearing as a dragon of azure, shooting upwards into the sky and rising from the ashes, speeding towards a more desolate location, where no-one in the immediate vicinity could be harmed by such an incredible clash that was about to occur.